Hamada Hirosuke - Hamada Hirosuke

A children's writer. Born on May 25, 1893 in Ipponyanagi, Yashiro Village, Higashiokitama County, Yamagata Prefecture (now Takahata Town). In junior high school, he loved reading Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. He enrolled in the Yamagata Prefectural Yonezawa Industrial Textile Department but dropped out after six months. He became increasingly interested in literature as he immersed himself in the works of Shimazaki Toson, Kambara Ariake, Susukida Kyukin, Kitahara Hakushu, and others. In 1914 (Taisho 3), he enrolled in the Waseda University Higher Preparatory School, where he became familiar with Russian literature. During his time at Waseda, he submitted his novel "Zeraku" and other works to the Yorozu Choho newspaper and was selected for publication. In 1946, his first children's story, "Golden Rice Stacks," was selected for publication in the Osaka Asahi Shimbun, where he received a prize of 50 yen, and his life's path was set. The judge, Iwaya Sazanami, praised the work for depicting things based solely on human kindness. After graduating from Waseda University, he edited Shunjusha's "Complete Works of Tolstoy" through the introduction of Katagami Nobu. He also worked as an editor for the children's story magazine, Ryoyu, and published "A Journey of Petals" and "The Dream of the Starling," which were both well-received in the same magazine. His style of writing prioritized emotion over story, and he gained a reputation as a poetic, fragrant writer of short children's stories written in hiragana. After publishing his first collection of children's stories, "The Dream of the Starling," in 1946, he published many collections of children's stories, and together with Ogawa Mimei, he made a great contribution to establishing children's stories as a literary genre. His representative work is "The Red Demon Who Cried." In 1980, he founded the Japan Children's Writers Association and became its first chairman. He received the Art Encouragement Prize and the Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Prize, among others. He passed away on November 17, 1973. There is a society to preserve Hirosuke's calligraphy in his hometown.

[Takuya Hamano]

"The Complete Works of Hirosuke Hamada, 12 volumes (1975-76, Shueisha)" ▽ "The Red Ogre Who Cried (Kaiseisha Bunko, Four Bunko, Poplar Publishing Bunko)" ▽ "Hamada Hirosuke Fairy Tales" (Obunsha Bunko, Kodansha Bunko, Shincho Bunko)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

児童文学者。明治26年5月25日、山形県東置賜(ひがしおきたま)郡屋代村一本柳（現高畠(たかはた)町）に生まれる。中学校時代はアンデルセン童話を愛読した。山形県立米沢(よねざわ)工業染織科に入学したが半年で退学、島崎藤村(とうそん)、蒲原有明(かんばらありあけ)、薄田泣菫(すすきだきゅうきん)、北原白秋(はくしゅう)らを耽読(たんどく)してますます文学に関心を抱き、1914年（大正3）早稲田(わせだ)大学高等予科に入学、ロシア文学に親しんだ。早大時代『萬朝報(よろずちょうほう)』に小説『零落』その他が投稿入選。17年処女童話『黄金(こがね)の稲束』が『大阪朝日新聞』に入選、賞金50円を得て生涯の道が定まった。選者巌谷小波(いわやさざなみ)は、この作品が人間の善意のみで描かれていることを賞賛した。早大卒業後、片上伸(のぶる)の紹介で春秋社の『トルストイ全集』を編集。さらに童話雑誌『良友』の編集に従事、かたわら同誌に『花びらの旅』『むく鳥の夢』を発表して認められた。その作風はストーリー性よりも情緒性を重んじ、詩的香気ある平仮名短編童話作家として定評を得るに至った。21年第一童話集『椋鳥(むくどり)の夢(ゆめ)』を刊行以後、多くの童話集を刊行、小川未明(みめい)とともに童話を文学の一ジャンルとして定着させた功績は大きい。代表作に『泣いた赤鬼』がある。55年（昭和30）に日本児童文芸家協会を設立、初代理事長となった。芸術選奨、サンケイ児童出版文化賞などを受賞。昭和48年11月17日没。郷里に広介墨跡保存会がある。

［浜野卓也］

『『浜田広介全集』全12巻（1975～76・集英社）』▽『『泣いた赤おに』（偕成社文庫・フォア文庫・ポプラ社文庫）』▽『『浜田広介童話集』（旺文社文庫・講談社文庫・新潮文庫）』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例